The Winds Blows
by Last Butterfly
Summary: Taang, TXA Postwar, two years later than the storyline. Toph and Aang crossed Omashu not much later than the Blind Bandit's 15th birthday; she's not too happy that Bumi remembered, but maybe Aang would cheer her up... Are they OoC? Help me decide! Rated T


I don't own the Avatar: the Last Airbender or any or its characters.

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_The W__ind Blows..._

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There are times when they disagree... but it is part of a real relationship, isn't it?

--

They were together most of the times, ever since they've met. Even though they still had to face _challenging events _– which she preferred to call exciting rather than dangerous as he did – but they were side by side.

He knew well how vulnerable she felt in the air without her element and that's why it meant everything to him that she still joined him whenever he wanted to fly. He was the only one she showed her weaknesses, like she'd always waited for the world to make fun of her if she'd changed that.

But he didn't mind that... when she didn't seem as strong as she had always been, he felt that he could finally be strong for her.

The first time she realized something had changed between them they were flying with his old glider. She didn't expect to find comfort in someone else, because she never really wanted to, but when she flew with him she found safety and warmth.

But, after all, a part of her always knew that she would be grateful for ever meeting him. Because he was the source of something she wished for all in her life before: and that was freedom.

What she didn't know though was the fact that he also needed her. Because he might have been the strongest bender alive… he might have been free, but for him she was the one who made him feel complete… who remained with him, and who he was always eager to return. His perfect match…

She never admitted it to him, but secretly she always thought about their first times when they were in the air. The first time she blushed... the first time when he blushed... and that very first kiss that caused both.

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The two of them had travelled through Omashu one night, and King Bumi invited them to a 'midnight feast' as he called it between two of his usual laughs.

And as it turned out that feast was held for an occasion too. Because the old king found out the fact that the greatest earthbender on Earth turned fifteen, just a month after the avatar himself did. (If we want to go into this then in truth he had been one hundred and fifteen by that time, but just to make it simple, he considered himself fifteen.)

Toph wouldn't have mind it much, if it had been any other one of her birthdays… but fifteen was the age what most girls await, because after that they're not kids anymore. They're counted as _women._ And whatever the circumstances were, the blind bandit never wanted to be treated as a woman…

"I can't believe this…" She murmured darkly ahead of her, while she hurried through one of the streets of Omashu. The perfectly set hairstyle, just like the one she wore when she'd first meet the avatar's gaang, held still even against the wind that blew around her, and the form of another person, right behind her. She didn't slow a bit when she showed a scowl behind her. "When I made you swear that you'd not mention it to _anyone_ I thought you'd understood me!"

"But Toph, I didn't…!" Aang started behind her, but with a flick of her wrist a head-sized rock flew towards him, he quickly whirled away, without slowing down. He was no longer like the kid who had to face the war… he grew much taller in the last two years, and his body became muscular than before. Now she could no longer tease him with looking nothing like a trained earthbender. "I didn't say a word about it! He must have remembered it from last year…"

The blind bender made a snort while pulling one of her hanging hair locks behind her ear, while her other hand held the long skirt of her pale green evening dress, which King Bumi did not forget to mention how much was like the colour of her eyes.

She had changed more than the avatar did… she became taller, even though she was a head shorter now than her companion. But her childish figure slowly turned into only a memory of those who knew her before: her body changed, no matter how she tried to hide it…

"I soo hate that I know you don't even _try_ to lie…" She ranted on while she slightly slowed down, but only enough for him to – after a minute of suspection – walking by her side.

Aang's searched her features from the corner of his eyes, and next to her furrowed eyebrows, he could see a forming pout on her lips, that lately appeared on her, when she felt bad about something… or insecure, which was as bad as the previous for her. If not worse. "Toph, it's not a big deal…" He said lowly, but she just turned her head away as his soft voice reached her. "You just turned a year older, that's all…"

"Yeah…" She said slowly and finally stopped when they've reached the middle of a square where a sculpture stood high above them. Her sightless gaze turned upwards with her inner eyes that trailed upon the two forms, a man and a woman in each other's embrace. Two pairs of stone eyes locking together forever, the way the people wanted to remember the tale their city was named after…

The edge of her lips curled into a bitter smile. She's never going to be able to look into and truly see anyone's eyes… She heaved a sigh before bowing her head towards the ground, and Aang slightly frowned at her but didn't break the silence around them.

"Twinkle Toes…" She started and his expressions unconsciously softened when he heard her say his nickname. That had always been a good sign… "Do you think if one of them had been blind, they'd have still fallen in love?"

The avatar gazed at the girl before him with surprise and shook his head as he didn't understand her question. "What?"

"Oma and Shu…" She turned back towards the sculpture faces and went on. "They say it was love at first sight." She said on a low voice, and now that he understood what she said, he was even more surprised. The unbreakable metal bender, the only girl he knew would never care about such things… suddenly asked about love?

She finally turned towards him and he didn't see any sign of her usual smirk he almost awaited, which would have meant that she was only joking; when she asked the question again. "Do you think they'd have fallen in love if they couldn't see each other?"

"Why not?" Aang's lips curled up into a smile while he looked up himself. "They used to meet in a dark labyrinth, just to be together. And love is something that connects two souls… nothing more, nothing less." He turned his head to the side, only to see she was still turned in his direction. "And anyway, who else would prove that being blind means no disadvantages, if not you?"

She averted her eyes before putting her hands against her unclothed upper arms to get some warmth. "Are you sure…?" She whispered then shuddered as suddenly the weight of clothes fell upon her. He wrapped his orange upper cloak around her shoulders while stepping before her, and his hands remained on her arms, and upon the cloak as long as she didn't get a hold of it with her hands.

His smile returned when she held onto his cloak, and he spoke before letting his hands back to his sides. "Yes, I am."

The edge of her lips curled into a small smile. "Thanks…"

"Don't thank yet." Aang said and she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, slightly surprised. "You know, I still didn't give you your birthday present…"

His smile grew wider when she frowned for a moment looking away. "That's just what I talked about…" She started ranting and he took a step closer while she looked at him again. "You agreed that you wouldn't make a fuss about this day with stupid presents! Just pretend like nothing…"

Her green eyes turned round as suddenly a very unfamiliar feeling filled her. His lips brushed against hers while her cheeks were held in place by the two hands of the world's saviour, the last airbender.

The whole thing didn't last longer then some seconds, but the sudden beating of her own and his heart, gave her an illusion of it taking longer.

His hands remained on her cheeks while she felt that her usually pale face filled with colour. And she couldn't bring her gaze away.

His grey eyes locked with her shady green ones, and nervousness took over him as next to his beating heart everything remained silent. The fact that she did not see him suddenly seemed forgotten, and though a blush appeared on her face her eyes locked with the point she knew his eyes were.

A part of Aang knew that her reaction is going to decide it all… if she turned away, then she'd take away the chance he felt they had. But if she didn't…

Toph's senses felt too many things to concentrate on her thoughts. Her own loud heart, the vibrations his heart sent through her element, the feeling of his caressing hands upon her face and the shivers that ran up and down her spine ever since the connection broke... And now she _knew_ that she did not want to turn away.

As she remained stunned his eyebrows slightly furrowed. _Then… I was wrong… _He thought, and slowly let his hands down from her face, after a silent sigh. "Happy Birthday Toph…"

He took a step away from her, and it made her react. When he started to turn away, her hands let go of the cloak around her, and one of her arms reached out grabbing the sleeveless yellow shirt he was wearing. His eyes slightly rounded when he was whirled and pulled fiercely back by her, but quickly recovered from this when her arms wrapped around his neck just after her lips collided with his.

One of her hands held onto the back of his head when she deepened the kiss, and his arms trailed around her waist pulling her even closer to him, until there remained no further space to close.

The cloak on the ground laid there forgotten, but when Aang slowly lifted up her form, he quickly remembered it when his legs stumbled upon it, and the two of them fell backwards.

Their kiss broke when the avatar hissed hitting the stone with his back, and they were gasping for air for a moment with flushed faces, before Toph finally ended up smirking, putting her hands on his chest. "Well know,_ Aang_, is _that _what you call rocklike? You just stumbled upon your own cloak…"

The avatar's blush deepened, but he couldn't help to recognize there was something in her voice now that she'd said his name, something that was worth waiting… "Maybe there are still some things you should teach me, _Sifu _Toph…" He made a smile himself slightly leaning upwards from the ground towards her. "And I'm more than willing to _wait and listen_."

The blind bending master let out a small chuckle before leaning down towards him. "I've always known that teaching you, is going to be interesting…" She whispered and a slight smirk appeared on her face when instead of letting him kiss her, she pushed her forehead to his. "It's good to know that I'm always right." She said almost teasingly and slowly, they've melted into another passionate kiss, they were so unaware where to look for before…

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They still have their own fights, but they can always get over it… because the real truth will always be: the wind blows, but the rock stays still.

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_A/N: All right people... my first Taang-shot, ever:D  
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_I can't say I'm sure they stayed in character, but after all: time changes people... I wanted to show that Toph and Aang could be a really awesome couple after some time. :)_

_Tell me what you think about it..._


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